Action Item: DAS Curriculum/Program Page 1 of 50 0511-III-D-DAS Agenda Item III.D. Society of American Archivists Council Meeting May 24 – 26, 2011 Chicago, Illinois Action Item: Digital Archives Specialist Curriculum and Certificate Program (Prepared by Solveig De Sutter) BACKGROUND At its May 2010 meeting, the SAA Council approved the creation of a Digital Archives Continuing Education (DACE) Task Force, whose charge was to develop a detailed workshop curriculum on digital archives for review/approval by the Committee on Education (COE) at its mid-winter 2011 meeting and for implementation by staff in FY 2012. The charge specified that the final report include the following items: 1. A list of workshop topics to be developed, including brief descriptions of the areas covered in each workshop. 2. A “workshop tree” indicating how workshops (including existing offerings) build on and enhance each other. 3. A list of possible developers and reviewers for each topic. SAA President Helen Tibbo appointed the DACE Task Force members in August 2010 following a call for volunteers. DACE members communicated via conference calls; met October 21-24, 2010, at the SAA office; and provided to the COE at its February 2011 meeting a report that included the outline for a “Digital Archives Specialist” (DAS) curriculum. Following extensive discussion, the Committee on Education accepted the Task Force’s recommendations with the caveat that several of COE’s suggestions, including the need for both course examinations and a comprehensive examination, be incorporated. In March 2011, the report was disseminated to appropriate section and roundtable leaders for their input. In April and May, Task Force and Committee members reviewed and revised the report based on that input. DISCUSSION A summary of the proposed DAS curriculum and certificate program is presented in Appendix A. The final DACE Task Force Report appears in Appendix B. Based on the Task Force’s work, external input, and review by the Committee on Education, the Committee presents the following recommendations for the Council’s consideration.
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Action Item: DAS Curriculum/Program Page 1 of 50 0511-III-D-DAS
Agenda Item III.D.
Society of American Archivists
Council Meeting
May 24 – 26, 2011
Chicago, Illinois
Action Item: Digital Archives Specialist
Curriculum and Certificate Program (Prepared by Solveig De Sutter)
BACKGROUND
At its May 2010 meeting, the SAA Council approved the creation of a Digital Archives
Continuing Education (DACE) Task Force, whose charge was to develop a detailed workshop
curriculum on digital archives for review/approval by the Committee on Education (COE) at its
mid-winter 2011 meeting and for implementation by staff in FY 2012. The charge specified that
the final report include the following items:
1. A list of workshop topics to be developed, including brief descriptions of
the areas covered in each workshop.
2. A “workshop tree” indicating how workshops (including existing
offerings) build on and enhance each other.
3. A list of possible developers and reviewers for each topic.
SAA President Helen Tibbo appointed the DACE Task Force members in August 2010
following a call for volunteers. DACE members communicated via conference calls; met
October 21-24, 2010, at the SAA office; and provided to the COE at its February 2011 meeting a
report that included the outline for a “Digital Archives Specialist” (DAS) curriculum.
Following extensive discussion, the Committee on Education accepted the Task Force’s
recommendations with the caveat that several of COE’s suggestions, including the need for both
course examinations and a comprehensive examination, be incorporated. In March 2011, the
report was disseminated to appropriate section and roundtable leaders for their input. In April
and May, Task Force and Committee members reviewed and revised the report based on that
input.
DISCUSSION
A summary of the proposed DAS curriculum and certificate program is presented in Appendix
A. The final DACE Task Force Report appears in Appendix B. Based on the Task Force’s work,
external input, and review by the Committee on Education, the Committee presents the following
recommendations for the Council’s consideration.
Action Item: DAS Curriculum/Program Page 2 of 50 0511-III-D-DAS
RECOMMENDATION 1
THAT the SAA Council adopt the Digital Archives Specialist Curriculum as presented in
Appendixes A and B.
Support Statement: The SAA Council’s approval of this digital archives continuing education
“SAA will provide education and training to its members to ensure that they are aware of
relevant standards and adopt appropriate practices for appraising, capturing, preserving, and
providing access to electronic records.”
Fiscal Impact: Expenses totaling $18,790 and gross revenues of approximately $120,000 (in
year one) are included in the proposed budget for FY12.
RECOMMENDATION 2
THAT the SAA Council adopt the SAA Digital Archives Specialist Certificate Program as
presented in Appendix B.
Support Statement: The SAA Council’s approval of an SAA Digital Archives Specialist
Certificate Program augments the activities designed to address Strategic Priority #1,
Technology, Desired Outcome #1, by affirming that learning outcomes were achieved – via
successful completion of individual course examinations and a comprehensive examination –
when a certificate of completion is awarded. Completion of the certificate program may enhance
an archivist’s desirability to employers and will assist archivists in marketing themselves.
Fiscal Impact: Expenses totaling $9,375 are included in the proposed FY12 budget. Testing
revenue in year one (from more knowledgeable students who may choose to test out of
“Foundational” courses) has not been included in the proposed budget for FY12.
RECOMMENDATION 3
THAT a Digital Archives Continuing Education Subcommittee of the Committee on
Education be created and charged as follows:
Digital Archives Continuing Education Subcommittee
of the Committee on Education Reports to: Committee on Education
Established: May 2011
I. Purpose
The DAS Subcommittee is responsible for ensuring that the Digital Archives Specialist curriculum
remains up to date. Because the curriculum is likely to require frequent changes, the Subcommittee
Action Item: DAS Curriculum/Program Page 3 of 50 0511-III-D-DAS
suggests and implements changes to the curriculum (including the examinations) as needed. In addition,
the Subcommittee is responsible for ensuring the currency of the core competencies for a DAS
Certificate, overseeing the learning outcomes to ensure that they support the core competencies, and
supporting the development of new courses.
II. Committee Selection, Size, and Length of Terms
The DAS Subcommittee consists of four members, is composed primarily of practitioners in digital
archives, and includes one “junior” member to offer a fresh and current perspective. The Subcommittee
is chaired by a digital archives educator with experience in digital archives and in developing and
implementing courses for either graduate or continuing education.
The Subcommittee chair serves for three years in that capacity. Members serve staggered three-year
terms. In year one, two Subcommittee members may be assigned three-year terms and two Subcommittee
members may be assigned four-year terms in order to ensure continuity as the program is launched and to
assist in the process of implementing the staggered terms.
III. Reporting Procedures
The chair of the DAS Subcommittee shall report to the Committee on Education at its meetings.
IV. Duties and Responsibilities
Review new courses, quizzes, and examinations to ensure quality and relevance.
Review new examinations for existing courses to ensure quality and relevance.
Monitor evaluation methods and results to assess whether individual participants
accomplished specific learning objectives and goals and if the goals and objectives of the
curriculum are met overall.
Implement and maintain a review process that evaluates existing online seminars (annually)
and other existing courses (as appropriate) to ensure that they reflect current archival
practices (if appropriate) and up-to-date technical know-how for digital archives.
Provide advice to the Education Director.
V. Meetings
The DAS Subcommittee meets either virtually or face-to-face in advance of the Committee on
Education’s mid-winter meeting (if one is held) and at the SAA Annual Meeting.
Support Statement: The SAA Council’s approval of a Digital Archives Continuing Education
Subcommittee and the charge ensures appropriate maintenance of the Digital Archives Specialist
curriculum and certificate program.
Fiscal Impact: $2,400 for a mid-winter meeting and conference calls, as well as space at the
Annual Meeting.
Action Item: DAS Curriculum/Program Page 4 of 50 0511-III-D-DAS
RECOMMENDATION 4
THAT the description for the Committee on Education be amended to add a new standing
position (ex officio liaison) for the chair of the Digital Archives Continuing Education
Subcommittee.
Committee on Education
I. Purpose
The Committee on Education has three complementary purposes: 1) to assess the profession's educational
needs; 2) to prepare and promote standards for archival education programs, those based in graduate
schools as well as post-appointment and continuing education and training programs; and 3) to provide advice to the SAA Education Office.
The Committee on Education's work is based on the following assumptions:
Education and professional development are essential to the continued advancement of the
profession;
Graduate education and continuing education must be addressed in a coordinated manner,
ensuring that developments in both areas are based on a common understanding of the needs of
the profession at all levels;
Education and professional development offerings must be responsive to the forces and
circumstances that could or should shape the profession; and
Education and professional development should be a cooperative enterprise involving various
participants, including SAA; other national, regional, and local archival organizations; graduate-
level academic programs; employers; and related professional associations.
II. Committee Selection, Size, and Length of Terms
The Committee on Education consists of nine ten members (including a chair and vice chair) appointed
by the SAA President for staggered three-year terms. The vice chair is appointed by the SAA vice
president normally from among the committee members serving the second year of their appointment.
The vice chair assumes the chair in his or her third year on the committee. The chair of the Digital
Archives Continuing Education Subcommittee and tThe SAA Education Director serves as an ex officio members of the committee.
The membership of the committee shall include a balanced mix of archival educators and of practicing
archivists with administrative or supervisory experience.
The vice chair of the Committee on Education serves as an ex officio member of the Theodore Calvin
Pease Award Subcommittee of the SAA Awards Committee, as a liaison to the Archival Educators Roundtable, and as an informal advisor to the Student Forum.
Support Statement: Approval of a tenth slot on the Committee on Education for the chair of
the Digital Archives Continuing Education Task Force will help to ensure that the Committee
and Subcommittee act in concert and will provide a sufficient number of volunteers to enable the
Committee to take care of its other responsibilities.
Fiscal Impact: $670 for attendance by one additional person at the mid-winter meeting of the
Committee on Education. This amount is included in the proposed FY12 budget.
Action Item: DAS Curriculum/Program Page 5 of 50 0511-III-D-DAS
RECOMMENDATION 5
THAT the Digital Archives Continuing Education Task Force be disbanded with thanks.
Support Statement: The Task Force has done outstanding work and its charge is now
complete.
Fiscal Impact: None.
Action Item: DAS Curriculum/Program Page 6 of 50 0511-III-D-DAS
Appendix A
SAA Digital Archives Specialist (DAS) Curriculum
Foundational Courses: These courses focus on the essential skills that archivists will need to manage digital archives. They focus primarily, but not
exclusively, on the needs of practitioners – archivists who are or will be working directly with electronic records. These courses present information
that an archivist might implement in the next year.
Courses Format Tracks and Audiences Instructor/Developer
Basic Electronic Records (Existing)
1-day Archivist Practitioner and Manager, Librarian, Museum Professional, Records
Manager
Huth
Basics of Managing Electronic
Records: Getting You Started (Existing)
Web Archivist Practitioner and Manager, Librarian, Museum Professional, Legal
Professional, Records Manager
Huth
Thinking Digital (Existing)
Web Archivist Practitioner and Manager, Librarian, Museum Professional, Records
Manager
Branco / Colati
Standards for Digital Archives (New)
Web Archivist Administrator, IT Professional, Legal Professional Ghaznavi
Beginner’s Guide to Metadata
(Existing)
Web Archivist Practitioner, Librarian, Museum Professional, Records Manager Branco / Colati
Appraisal of Electronic Records (New)
1-day Archivist Practitioner, Records Manager TBD
Digital Curation: Creating an
Environment for Success (New)
1-day Archivist Practitioner, Manager, and Administrator; Librarian; Museum
Professional
Esposito
Tactical and Strategic Courses: These courses focus on the skills that archivists need to make significant changes in their organizations so that they
can develop a digital archives and work seriously on managing electronic records. They focus primarily, but not exclusively, on the needs of
managers, those archivists who manage other professionals and who oversee programmatic operations. These courses present information that an
archivist might implement in the next five years.
Courses Format Tracks and Audiences Instructor/Developer
Electronic Records and Archives:
The Next Step (Existing)
Web Archivist Practitioner and Manager, Librarian, Museum Professional, Records
Manager
Huth
Accessioning and Ingest (New) 1-day Archivist Practitioner and Manager, Librarian, IT Professional, TBD
Digital Repositories
(Combine with BDC) (Revised)
1-day Archivist Practitioner and Manager Branco / Colati
Action Item: DAS Curriculum/Program Page 7 of 50 0511-III-D-DAS
Preserving Digital Archives: Concepts
and Competencies (New)
1-day Archivist Practitioner and Manager, Librarian, Museum Professional, IT
Professional, Records Manager
Norris
Legal Issues in Digital Archives (New)
1-day Archivist Practitioner, Manager, and Administrator; IT Professional; Records
Manager
TBD
Developing Specifications and RFPs
for Recordkeeping Systems (New)
1-day Archivist Manager, IT Professional, Legal Professional, Records Manager TBD
Digital Archives and Libraries (Existing)
1-day Archivist Manager, Librarian, Museum Professional Rosko
Providing Access to Digital Archives (New)
1-day Archivist Practitioner, Librarian, Museum Professional TBD
Inreach and Outreach for Digital
Archives (New)
1-day Archivist Manager, Librarian, Museum Professional TBD
Tools and Services Courses: These courses focus on specific tools and services that archivists need to use for their work with digital archives. They
are practical courses focused on specific software products and other tools, and they focus primarily, but not exclusively, on the needs of practitioner
archivists. These courses present information that an archivist could implement immediately.
Courses Format Tracks and Audiences Instructor/Developer
Archival Content Management
Systems (Existing)
Web Archivist Practitioner, IT Professional, Librarian, Records Manager Spiro
Achieving Email Account Preservation
with XML (Existing)
1/2-day Archivist Manager Eubank / Ferrante /
Schmitz-Fuehrig
Preservation Options of PDF (Existing)
Web Archivist Practitioner, Manager, Librarian, Museum Professional, Records
Manager
Huth
Digital Forensics (New)
1-day Archivist Administrator, IT Professional, Legal Professional, Records
Manager
TBD
Other Proposed Topics:
- iRODS TBD Archivist Practitioner and Manager TBD
- JHOVE TBD Archivist Practitioner and Manager TBD
- Drupal TBD Archivist Practitioner and Manager TBD
- ISO 16363 and ISO 16919 TBD Archivist Practitioner and Manager TBD
Action Item: DAS Curriculum/Program Page 8 of 50 0511-III-D-DAS
Transformational Courses: These courses focus on the skills that archivists need to change their working life dramatically and transform their institutions into
full-fledged digital archives. They focus primarily, but not exclusively, on the needs of administrators, those archivists with oversight over the entire archival
enterprise of an institution. These courses present information that an archivist might implement over the course of the next ten years.
Courses Format Tracks and Audiences Instructor/Developer
Information Architecture (New)
Web Archivist Practitioner and Manager, Librarian, IT Professional Ghaznavi
Managing Electronic Records
in Archives & Special Collections (Existing)
2-day Archivist Manager Pyatt
Shaw
Digital Curation Planning and
Sustainable Futures (New)
1-day Archivist Administrator, IT Professional, Librarian, Museum Professional,
Records Manager
Tibbo
McGovern
To Receive a DAS Certificate: A certificate participant has successfully completed (i.e., attended and passed examinations for) nine required courses from the
tiers listed below and has passed a comprehensive examination within a 24-month period. More knowledgeable participants may elect to test out of Foundational
courses.
Four Foundational courses
Three Tactical and Strategic courses
One Tools and Services courses
One Transformational course
To Maintain a DAS Certificate: The DAS Certificate is valid for a period of five years. DAS certificate holders may elect to renew the certificate by
successfully completing TBD1 courses from the tiers listed below. DAS certificate holders also may elect to test out to renew the certificate.
x Tactical and Strategic course(s)
x Tools and Services course(s)
x Transformational course(s)
Course Schedule: Staff is working with New England Archivists (NEA) on a model that will ensure that all DAS face-to-face courses will be offered within a
24-month period starting in fall of FY 12. When that model is finalized, we’ll approach other regionals (MAC, NCA, SCA, SSA) to use this model or something
very similar. DAS courses can also be requested by individual hosts like other SAA continuing education courses.
Examinations: Assessment quizzes will be accessible on the SAA Web site via PDFs. Individual course exams will be provided online. We are talking with
ACA about the possibility of staging the comprehensive examinations at the same time/locations as the ACA certification examination.
1 This number to be determined when the Committee on Education and DAS Subcommittee meet in August 2011.
Action Item: DAS Curriculum/Program Page 9 of 50 0511-III-D-DAS
Appendix B
Report of the Digital Archives Continuing Education Task Force
16 May 2011
Table of Contents
I. Background 10
A. Charge 10
B. Deliberations 10
C. Approach 10
II. Discussion 11
III. Recommendations 11
A. Structured Curriculum 11
B. Tiers of Study 11
C. Tracks of Study 12
D. Formats of Training 12
E. A New Online Course Management System 13
F. Integrating the Curriculum Framework 13
G. Core Competencies of a Digital Archives Specialist 14
H. Marketing 15
I. Self-Testing to Determine if Ready for a Course 16
J. Measuring Success of Courses 17
K. Continuing this Program into the Future 20
IV. Appendices 21
A. Charge to the Digital Archives Continuing Education Task Force 21
B. Simple Table of Structured Digital Archives Specialist Curriculum 22
C. Detailed Table of Structured Digital Archives Specialist Curriculum 23
D. Course Description Data Elements for Digital Archives Specialist
Curriculum
25
E. Course Descriptions for the Digital Archives Specialist Curriculum 26
F. Guidance for Instructors 49
G. Glossary of Terms 50
Action Item: DAS Curriculum/Program Page 10 of 50 0511-III-D-DAS
I. Background
A. Charge
On May 26, 2010, the Council of the Society of American Archivists (SAA) formed the Digital Archives
Continuing Education Task Force (or DACE), which would be “responsible for developing a detailed
professional development curriculum on the subject of digital archives.” The task force was further
charged with developing a final report that included the following items:
4. A list of workshop topics to be developed, including brief descriptions of the areas
covered in each workshop.
5. A “workshop tree” indicating how workshops (including existing offerings) build on and
enhance each other.
6. A list of possible developers and reviewers for each topic.
SAA released a call for volunteers in the summer of 2010, and SAA President Helen Tibbo appointed the
members of the task force as of August of that year. (The full charge to the task force appears in
“Appendix A: Charge to the Digital Archives Continuing Education Task Force.”)
B. Deliberations
The members of the task force conducted their work via conference calls and a single multi-day meeting
at SAA‟s headquarters in Chicago. During the first conference calls, the task force discussed SAA‟s
current schedule of course offerings in digital archives and clarified details of its charge. During these
discussions, the task force evaluated each electronic records course in SAA‟s course schedule, identified a
need to extend the range of course offerings, developed a structured curriculum, and developed means to
target specific audiences, ensure the quality of instruction, and integrate digital archives continuing
education into the rest of SAA‟s course offerings.
At the task force‟s meeting in Chicago in October of 2010, its members created the outline of a
sophisticated structured curriculum for Digital Archives continuing education and sketched out the
details of making this curriculum a reality. During these discussions, the task force finalized the design of
the curriculum, developing tiers and tracks of study as well as a detailed system for maintaining
metadata on each of the courses in the curriculum, helping prospective students choose courses, and
ensuring the quality of these courses. The task force also identified new courses to add to SAA‟s course
listings, potential instructors for those courses, and the need to promote this new curriculum
immediately.
The task force carried out the final leg of its deliberations via conference calls and email, completing its
work in early 2011.
C. Approach
The task force agreed that two basic concepts would guide its work. The first was that its focus would be
on born-digital records, thus on digital archives rather than digitized archives. The members believed
that this distinction was important because it accepts that digital records are a central concern of
archivists and because these move the focus of the curriculum away from paper records, which is truly
where digitization projects are focused. The task force‟s other guiding concept was that electronic records
training needs to be integrated into the work of archives rather than treated as something separate from
or in addition to that work. This is an important consideration in the curriculum itself, suggesting that
most courses given by SAA include information on electronic records.
Action Item: DAS Curriculum/Program Page 11 of 50 0511-III-D-DAS
II. Discussion
SAA‟s digital archives course listings begin with introductory training on electronic records and continue
to moderately advanced levels of difficulty, but the courses are not integrated with one another, there is
no clear path of training for a prospective student to take, and the workshops provide a mishmash of
styles and information rather than one clear educational vision. These are problems the task force
believes must be solved, and the task force‟s solutions should lead to greater attendance at workshops,
more revenue for SAA, and, most importantly, a national community of archivists better educated to
manage the demands of digital records.
One method the task force used to consider these issues was a simple one: What is the niche that SAA‟s
digital archives continuing education serves? The first answer was that SAA serves the archivist, whether
that archivist is a member of SAA or not, but the true answer became more complicated. The full answer
was that SAA, as part of its mission, provides educational opportunities to archivists and a number of
people in allied professions. Because of this, SAA‟s digital archives education must also consider the
librarian who might need training in managing digital records, the managers and administrators who
will need to oversee programs for managing these records, the information technology professionals who
need to understand archivists‟ concerns regarding digital records, and even lawyers who must be
cognizant of the legal complications that some electronic records carry with them. This focus on user types
led directly to the task force‟s idea of developing tracks of study that would address the needs of different
groups of students.
The task force concerned itself with the details of the proposed training program because the members
saw the need for an integrated solution where the details mattered. Given this, they discussed the modes
of training that SAA has used to determine content and delivery of that content, how to coordinate this
with other ongoing similar efforts being undertaken by allied groups and organizations, and how to
measure its ultimate success. While principles remain stable, technology is ever changing, therefore the
task force believes that the development of the curriculum and its subsequent review and refinements are
iterative in nature and require a vigilant systematic and scheduled approach.
III. Recommendations
A. Structured Curriculum
The task force‟s first recommendation is a direct response to its charge to develop “a „workshop tree‟
indicating how workshops (including existing offerings) build on and enhance each other.” The structured
curriculum that the task force has developed begins with the current course offerings, suggests some
changes to those, and adds many more. Before developing a structure, the task force needed to identify
and fill the substantial gaps in the curriculum as it currently exists. This structured curriculum then
divides the courses into tiers of study and categorizes them by tracks of study across these tiers. This
framework finally gives the course schedule a structure that allows users stratified and categorized
information on courses.
B. Tiers of Study
The proposed tiers of study allow prospective students to assess their needs against the general goals of
different tiers. The task force opted not to use overused terms such as “basic,” “intermediate,” and
“advanced” to define tiers, deciding instead on a more active set of descriptors. (For a listing of all courses,
divided into the four tiers, see “Appendix B: Simple Table of Structured Digital Archives Specialist
Curriculum.”)
Action Item: DAS Curriculum/Program Page 12 of 50 0511-III-D-DAS
1) Foundational Courses
These courses focus on the essential skills archivists will need to manage digital archives. These focus
primarily, but not exclusively, on the needs of practitioners, archivists who are or will be working directly
with electronic records. These courses present information that an archivist might implement in the next
year.
2) Tactical and Strategic Courses
These courses focus on the skills archivists need to make significant changes in their organizations so
that they can develop a digital archives and work seriously on managing electronic records. These focus
primarily, but not exclusively, on the needs of managers, those archivists who manage other professionals
and who oversee programmatic operations. These courses present information that an archivist might
implement in the next five years.
3) Tools and Services Courses
These courses focus on specific tools and services that archivists need to use for their work with digital
archives. These are practical courses focused on specific software products and other tools. These courses
focus primarily, but not exclusively, on the needs of practitioner archivists. These courses present
information that an archivist could implement immediately.
4) Transformational Courses
These courses focus on the skills archivists need to change their working life dramatically and transform
their institutions into full-fledged digital archives. These courses focus primarily, but not exclusively, on
the needs of administrators, those archivists with oversight over the entire archival enterprise of an
institution. These courses present information that an archivist might implement over the course of the
next ten years.
C. Tracks of Study
The task force determined that the needs of SAA‟s members and other potential students were so broad
that it would be necessary to identify different tracks of study for different potential students. The task
force envisioned that each course would be assigned to various tracks, rather than a single track, and that
courses would be developed with these tracks in mind. The tracks identified by the task force were
Practitioner, Manager, Administrator, IT Professional, Librarian, Legal Professional, Museum
Professional, and Records Manager. The task force reviewed all extant and proposed workshops and
identified specific tracks for each of these. (For a listing of all courses, along with the identification of tiers
and tracks, see “Appendix C: Detailed Table of Structured Digital Archives Specialist Curriculum.” For
definitions of tracks, see “Appendix G: Glossary of Terms.”)
D. Formats of Training
The task force noted that SAA provided training events in a variety of formats (one-day in-person
workshops and ninety-minute webinars, to give the two most common examples), but that there was no
specific guidance on when one was appropriate over another. With this fact in mind, the task force defined
when to use one format of training over another, thus adding another element of intellectual control over
the course development process. (For a listing of all courses, along with the identification of tiers, tracks,
and formats of training, see “Appendix C: Detailed Table of Structured Digital Archives Specialist
Curriculum.”)
Action Item: DAS Curriculum/Program Page 13 of 50 0511-III-D-DAS
1) One-day workshop
This is the standard format that most SAA training follows. These one-day workshops last from 9 am
until 5 pm, with an hour for lunch, and are appropriate for training that focuses, in detail, on one specific
aspect of archival education. The goal of such training is to give students enough information to carry out
at least some of the functions taught during the training. These workshops should include exercises and
discussion and may include some hands-on training.
2) Multi-day workshop
Multi-day workshops are designed to give students in-depth training on one specific aspect of archival
activity. As such, they must include hands-on training and might be focused on implementing such
training. These workshops last two or three days and must be designed so that one day builds upon the
previous day‟s learning.
3) Webinar
Webinars are 90-minute online training sessions in which students log in to a website to view the training
and call in to hear the course presenter speak. The course presenter is not visible, interaction between the
presenter and the audience always occurs, but opportunities for interaction are limited. For this reason,
these courses must be short and must focus on giving fairly general overviews of topics in digital archives.
For purposes of managing the Digital Archives Specialist certificate, attendees at webinars will have to
procure an affidavit from the license buyer confirming attendance or will have to register and take the
online on-demand course individually.
E. A New Online Course Management System
For the future, probably by 2013 or 2014, the task force envisions SAA implementing a dynamic online
course management system that potential students could use to evaluate course offerings, identify and
register for courses, and even watch online recorded course offerings. This system would lay out, in tiers,
the entire current course schedule for SAA, allow users to search a rich online database to see how
courses fit into their needs, and provide a way for potential students to take pre-tests to determine if they
were sufficiently knowledgeable to take certain courses. One major purpose of this system would be to
bring the curriculum under better control, and one of the means of doing so would be to ensure the
maintenance of good and helpful metadata on each course. (See Appendix D: “Course Description Data
Elements for Digital Archives Specialist Curriculum” for a list of proposed metadata elements.) This
system will help potential students find courses and follow a logical path through the course schedule to
meet their personal needs, but it will also provide SAA with a way to better manage and conceptualize its
curriculum.
F. Integrating the Curriculum Framework
Administering archives in a ubiquitously networked world is no longer a matter for archivists
alone. Because born-digital materials are subject to short-lived technologies at the time of creation, their
management and preservation require a highly coordinated effort. The ability to define roles and
responsibilities clearly depends on the extent to which we are speaking the same language. Partnerships
with IT professionals are usually absolutely necessary, so SAA‟s digital archives curriculum must identify
ways and means for maximizing these opportunities.
The proper management of digital archives requires early intervention and continued vigilance, and this
curriculum is designed to teach these points. Archivists must learn to become involved with records from
the point of creation or before, which is something simpler for institutional archivists than for
Action Item: DAS Curriculum/Program Page 14 of 50 0511-III-D-DAS
manuscripts curators. But even curators of manuscripts need to learn to build relationships with creators
early on, before records are discarded or become inaccessible. Similarly, the world of digital archives does
not allow archivists the possibility of complacency after accessioning or the first act of preservation.
Archivists of electronic records need to manage actively the records under their care, not passively,
because these records are much more unstable than standard paper records. The Digital Archives
Specialist curriculum is designed to teach these truths and to encourage archivists to see their world now
as a constantly changing one, where digital records need early and constant care, where the skills they
need will change frequently, and where they must focus on records more as active users always have
rather than as curators had in the past.
The proposed curriculum accounts for horizontal and vertical transfers of knowledge through a structure
of tracks and tiers. Courses structured by tracks are not solely for archivists, but also for those who work
closely with them, such as IT, general counsel, librarians, records managers and other stakeholders. The
tiers of study allow for a grounding in the basics that is then built upon and expanded by subsequent
courses that address specialized, advanced studies, tactics and tools useful for digital appraisal,
description, management, organization and preservation.
Our goals remain consistent, but new technologies lead to evolving solutions. Taken as a whole, these
courses provide an integrated framework for archivists who appraise, capture, preserve and provide
access to digital collections.
G. Core Competencies of a Digital Archives Specialist
The curriculum imagined by the task force assumes a completeness that allows for the provision of a
certificate to those who actively participate in a significant core of the curriculum. This curriculum would
be designed to support the awarding of Digital Archives Specialist certificates to successful students. The
knowledge and skill set expected of Digital Archives Specialists would require evidence that students had
an awareness of technical standards, and of core archival activities (such as appraisal, arrangement and
description, preservation and access) as they relate to digital archives.
Upon completion of the Digital Archives Specialist curriculum, students will be able to:
Understand the nature of records in electronic form, including the function of various storage media,
nature of system dependence and the effect on integrity of records over time
Communicate and define requirements, roles, and responsibilities related to digital archives to a
variety of partners and audiences
Formulate tactics and strategies for the appraisal, description, management, organization, and
preservation of digital archives
Integrate technologies, tools, software, and media within existing functions for the appraisal, capture,
preservation and access to digital collections
Plan for the integration of new tools or successive generations of emerging technologies, software, and
media
Curate, store, and retrieve original masters and access copies of digital archives
Provide dependable organization and service to designated communities across networks
Curation, storage, and retrieval of records from collections require a knowledge of primary and secondary
values for efficiently managing, controlling and using original masters and access copies of digital
archives. To provide dependable organization and service, Digital Archives Specialists must be able to
integrate new tools within existing functions to implement strategies serving the needs of designated
communities across networks. Digital Archives Specialists must be able to appraise, capture, preserve
and make materials accessible through successive generations of emerging technologies, software, and
media.
Action Item: DAS Curriculum/Program Page 15 of 50 0511-III-D-DAS
H. Marketing Plan for Digital Archives Specialist Curriculum
For the Digital Archives Specialist (DAS) curriculum to succeed at extending and improving an
understanding of digital archives, SAA must take steps to promote the curriculum as a whole and must
hold relevant workshops across the country. To these ends, the task force recommends the following
promotional program.
1) Rationale
The Society of American Archivists (SAA) provides education and training to its members and others to
ensure that they are aware of relevant standards and adopt appropriate practices for appraising,
capturing, preserving, and providing access to electronic records.
2) Audience
SAA members and other archivists, comprising practitioners, managers, administrators, and the other
professionals they work with in large or small organizations with staff or by themselves.
Librarians, legal staff, and records managers who have responsibility for records.
Employers who want to ensure that their staff has the knowledge and training to address electronic
records issues.
ACA members, students, student chapters, and regional associations.
3) Position Statement
SAA‟s Digital Archives Specialist curriculum was developed by experts in the field of digital archives and
structured in tiers of study that guide the prospective student to choose courses based on their specific
knowledge, training, and needs. Successful completion of this curriculum would be confirmed by SAA with
a “Digital Archives Specialist” certificate.
4) Goals for FY 2012 (7/1/11 – 6/30/12)
Roll out Digital Archives Specialist Curriculum marketing campaign starting in May.
Secure four regional co-sponsors to offer entire curriculum over an 18-month period.
Secure the support of the Academy of Certified Archivists.
Develop and present four new courses beginning with the foundational course track in the first half of
FY 2012.
Develop and present four new tactical and strategic courses in second half of FY 2012.
5) Pricing
Offer a reduced package price (includes all required courses) to individuals who want to pursue the
DAS certificate. Registrants in this category will receive priority in the registration process.
Offer a special price for a combination of two courses and three web seminars (individual).
Set one price for all web seminars (individual).
Allow special pricing for entities (institutions, employers, SHRABs, etc.).
6) Promotion
Develop a campaign that builds awareness of this curriculum and emphasizes what participants will
gain, how it is different (due to its structure, self-testing, and originality, etc.), and how it will meet
management needs.
Action Item: DAS Curriculum/Program Page 16 of 50 0511-III-D-DAS
Publish an article in Archival Outlook, multiple information pieces posted to In the Loop, and an
announcement on SAA‟s homepage.
Announce the curriculum through news releases.
Publish an announcement to LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook feeds.
Unveil content and schedule at the presidential address, and provide handouts or a brochure at that
event.
Hold a drawing in which the winner receives free registration to all required courses, with the proviso
that the winner has to complete everything within a 24-month period.
Hold a drawing for each of the first four co-sponsors to offer the curriculum.
Publicize the curriculum to archival educators and students.
Encourage republication of announcements in regional association newsletters.
Identify groups based on track audiences (e.g., ALA, ACRL, lawyers, etc.) and buy email lists to attract
their attention.
Send direct mail to corporations.
7) Resources Needed
Technical
At this time, SAA‟s database can support many of the record-keeping requirements to track progress
towards completion and expiration of DAS certificates.
Online Testing will be conducted via one of the hosted online testing service providers.
Applications like Moodle will be utilized to standardize content between instructors.
Human
Successful implementation of this program will require involvement across all SAA program areas.
Maintenance of the program will require more effort from education and service center staff. None of this
can be accomplished without an active Education Subcommittee on Digital Archives Continuing
Education and the Committee on Education.
Monetary
DAS budget details are part of the education budget in the proposed FY2012 budget for consideration
by the SAA Council.
I. Self-Testing to Determine Readiness for a Course
The task force envisions an integrated online system that prospective students will use to learn about the
curriculum and make choices about courses. Students can use each course‟s prerequisites to determine if
they are prepared to take certain digital archives courses, but this tool alone might be too inexact to allow
for accurate self-assessments. For this reason, the task force recommends that SAA develop short online
self-tests that prospective students can use to measure their knowledge against the knowledge necessary
for anyone to complete one of the digital archives courses successfully.
1) Scope
These recommendations apply to all courses, regardless of tier or track or mode of delivery (for instance,
whether online or in person)
2) Benefits
Action Item: DAS Curriculum/Program Page 17 of 50 0511-III-D-DAS
Provides SAA Education, instructors, and participants a way to establish baselines and benchmarks
Ensures a reasonable quality satisfaction rate of members (At least 75% of all participants in Digital
Archives Specialist courses will say they would recommend DAS courses to their colleagues.)
Makes explicit the requirements and expectations of all courses
3) Implementation and Administration
The questions asked during the self-test should
Measure the extent of prospective participants‟ knowledge of technical, technological, and functional
domains of knowledge
Offer specific measures of comprehension in these domains: reading, working, or applied knowledge
Clarify potentially vague or ambiguous measures (for example, “good understanding of”)
Be clear regarding the scale applied for assessment (for example, what does correct responses to 2 out of
3 questions indicate?)
Be optional yet “strongly recommended”
Be developed collaboratively between the instructor and SAA Education office
Be subject to review and update at least once every two years
Be brief (perhaps three questions, each with three choices of answers)
Be easy to administer for SAA and use existing SAA resources
4) Rationale for recommendation
These recommendations are based on the analysis of evaluations completed by attendees of SAA
workshops and best practices and research into professional development.
J. Measuring Success of Courses
An essential element in this curriculum will be a method to measure the success of the curriculum as a
whole and the success of its individual courses. The plan below explains a set of actions SAA can
undertake to measure the level of success of this proposed program.
1) Scope
These recommendations apply to all face-to-face courses and online courses in the Digital Archives
Specialist (DAS) curriculum.
In order to measure the success of the new curriculum accurately, the evaluation methods employed must
assess whether individual participants accomplished specific learning objectives and goals and if the goals
and objectives of the curriculum were met overall.
2) Methods
Measure overall learning outcomes that occurred immediately after a specific course or process.
Administer an optional short quiz at the beginning and the end of the course that students download and
complete or are provided at the beginning and end of the course. This quiz will come in two forms, with
different questions that measure a student‟s grasp of the same material. This system will measure
whether students have increased their knowledge during the course.
Action Item: DAS Curriculum/Program Page 18 of 50 0511-III-D-DAS
Certificate participants are required to take a pass/fail test (10 questions with multiple answers) at the
end of each course.
Measure, a period of time after the course, whether students have made any practical application of
what they learned.
Contact participants at two months after and again one year after completion of a course and have them
complete a survey that measures how the course changed their professional practices, using the specific
objectives of the course as measurements. Assume that a response rate of 25% implementing would be
high.
Use course auditors expert in the subject matter to attend face-to-face courses to assess the course
content, design, and delivery, and provide constructive evaluation. In addition, reviewers will provide
constructive evaluations on online courses prior to and after the presentation.
Ask participants to evaluate, at the end of each course, the course design, how well its learning
outcomes and goals were met, and how they would suggest improving the course.
Measure overall program learning outcomes when certificate participants have passed all required
course tests.
Administer a comprehensive final exam (100 questions) that participants must pass to receive the DAS
certificate.
3) Benefits
Data collected will provide instructors with feedback on improving course content and delivery.
Consistently collecting such data and implementing changes based on it will keep courses relevant.
Multi-modal user feedback will help to assess the relevance of individual courses and the overall
curriculum.
The interactive review and improvement cycle will support the growth of a strong and relevant
program, which in turn should lead to programmatic growth while meeting the continuing educational
needs of the archival profession.
4) Implementation and Administration
Developers, instructors, and content experts must agree on what a participant should know,
understand, and be able to do after each course and structure the learning outcome quiz and knowledge
survey accordingly.
Developers, instructors, and content experts must agree on what a Digital Archives Specialist would
understand and be able to do after completion of the entire curriculum.
Each course must have learning outcomes tied to the core competencies and satisfy several.
Learning outcomes must be actionable and measurable and tied to Bloom‟s Taxonomy.
Foundational courses must be at Bloom‟s Levels 1-2, others at Bloom‟s Level 3.
Action Item: DAS Curriculum/Program Page 19 of 50 0511-III-D-DAS
Developers and instructors must develop assessment quizzes and a pool of questions (20 to 25) for each
course. The Digital Archives Continuing Education Subcommittee of the Education Committee will
monitor quizzes for consistency and compile the final exam.
5) Rationale for Recommendation
The recommendations are based on a review of various writings on the assessment of student learning in
higher education, assessment methods and measurements instruments, experience of those in
professional associations, principles of good practice for assessing student learning, and advice of archival
educators.
6) Assessing Successful Outcomes
Below are a number of measures SAA could use to measure the success of individual courses in the
curriculum as well as the curriculum as a whole. Additional measures are possible, so this list is merely a
suggestion of some valid measures of success. Although the raw numbers and percentages may seem low,
the task force believes that these are reasonable measures of success, given that some archivists are
focused more on paper than electronic records and that only a small percentage of members and
nonmember archivists attend SAA training events. The goals below are measures the Digital Archives
specialist program should see by the end of SAA‟s annual meeting in 2013.
At least 2% of SAA members (ca. 112 people) will have completed the Digital Archives Specialist
program.
Given the number of courses proposed for the DAS curriculum and the fact that it will take at least 18
months to develop and roll out the rest of the curriculum, this is a reasonable measure of success.
Certificate participants must take and pass four Foundational courses, three Tactical and Strategic
courses, and one course in both the Tools and Services and Transformational tiers. This number of
courses will provide students with adequate background in the field and is reasonable when allowing for
the busy working lives of potential students.
More knowledgeable students can elect to test out of the foundational courses.
The DAS Certificate will be valid for five years. DAS Certificate holders can elect to renew the certificate
by successfully completing courses and exams from the Tactical and Strategic, Tools and Services, and
Transformational course tiers. Renewal of the certificate is strongly recommended because of the short-
term obsolescence of some technical knowledge students will gain through the courses.
At least 50 nonmembers will have completed the Digital Archives Specialist program.
At least 15 of those completing the Digital Archives Specialists program will be from allied professions.
At least 280 participants will have taken at least one course in the Digital Archives Specialist
curriculum.
At least 75% of all participants in Digital Archives Specialist courses will say they would recommend
DAS courses to their colleagues.
Action Item: DAS Curriculum/Program Page 20 of 50 0511-III-D-DAS
At least 2% of participants in Digital Archives Specialist courses will have said that taking a DAS
course has helped them accomplish something relating to digital archives in their institutions within two
months of taking the course.
This measure of accomplishment could include the implementation of certain activities or the addition of
specific improvements to their digital archives programs or the institution of outreach or advocacy
designed to put such activities or improvements into place.
K. Continuing this Program into the Future
The task force believes that the benefits of its work will be greatest only if the proposed changes to SAA‟s
curriculum are continued into the future. To this end, the task force makes these further
recommendations:
1) Integrate Digital Archives Education into the Entire Curriculum
When applicable, SAA‟s courses should include electronic records components. For instance, training on
managing maps and plans should include discussions on managing GIS records and CAD drawings, and
preservation workshops should address the issues of digital preservation. The skills of the archivist can
no longer be diverted into two streams, one digital and one paper.
2) Extend the Structured Curriculum into the Entire Curriculum
The task force believes that SAA‟s entire curriculum could be improved by bringing structure to its
development and presentation. For this reason, the task force believes that the entire curriculum should
be re-evaluated and updated in the near future, probably after testing of the effects of the
recommendations in this report.
3) Add a Seat for a Permanent Digital Archives Educator to the Education Committee
For Digital Archives education to flourish in the future, SAA‟s Education Committee must have at least
one member who is there simply because of his or her knowledge of Digital Archives continuing education.
Without that, the program envisioned by this task force is likely to lose momentum and fall into disrepair.
4) Create a Digital Archives Continuing Education Subcommittee of the Education Committee
Given the complexity of digital archives continuing education, the task force recommends that a Digital
Archives Continuing Education Subcommittee be created and that this subcommittee report to the
Education Committee. This subcommittee would be responsible for ensuring that the DAS curriculum is
up to date and provides valuable information to participants. The committee would also be responsible for
suggesting changes to the curriculum, overseeing the pre-assessment quizzes and the ten-question
pass/fail exams developed for each course in the DAS curriculum, and creating the 50-to-100-question
final exams necessary to receive the DAS Certificate.
Since any curriculum needs to change with time and since any digital archives curriculum is apt to see
more frequent change, this committee is essential to ensure the continuing value of SAA‟s entire program
of archival training.
Action Item: DAS Curriculum/Program Page 21 of 50 0511-III-D-DAS
IV. Appendices
Appendix A
Charge to the Digital Archives Continuing Education Task Force
Reports to: Committee on Education
Established: May 26, 2010
Final Report Expected: April 30, 2011
I. Purpose
The Task Force on Digital Archives Continuing Education is responsible for developing a detailed
professional development curriculum on the subject of digital archives. This purpose derives from SAA's
2010 – 2014 Strategic Priorities, Technology, Desired Outcome 1: “SAA will provide education and
training to its members to ensure that they are aware of relevant standards and adopt appropriate
practices for appraising, capturing, preserving, and providing access to electronic records.”
II. Committee Selection, Size, and Length of Terms
The SAA Vice President shall appoint three to five members with knowledge and expertise in appraisal,
capture, preservation, and access to digital archives; in adult education, and in archival practice. All
appointments are effective from August 1, 2010 through April 30, 2011.
III. Reporting Procedures
The Task Force will report to the Committee on Education at appropriate intervals, with a final report
and recommendations to the Committee at its winter/spring 2011 meeting. The approved curriculum is to
be implemented by the SAA staff in FY 2012.
IV. Duties and Responsibilities
A. Become familiar with existing SAA education offerings and the results of recent SAA continuing
education surveys.
B. Seek input from SAA committees, sections, and roundtables as appropriate for leadership and
guidance on proposed hierarchy of workshop development.
C. Modify the draft curricula and work plans per member feedback.
D. Deliver final draft and recommendations to the Committee on Education at its winter/spring meeting.
Task Force members will be available for consultation as the FY 2012 budget is developed for Council
adoption. The final work product should consist of the following:
1. A list of workshop topics to be developed, including brief descriptions of the areas covered in each
workshop.
2. A “workshop tree” indicating how workshops (including existing offerings) build on and enhance
each other.
3. A list of possible developers and reviewers for each topic.
V. Meetings
The Task Force will meet one time at the SAA offices in Chicago and via conference call as needed to
ensure completion of the curriculum by the deadline.
Action Item: DAS Curriculum/Program Page 22 of 50 0511-III-D-DAS
Created by the Council: May 26, 2010
Huth Geoffrey Chair 8/14/2010 - 5/1/2011 New York State Archives
Esposito Jackie Task Force Member 8/14/2010 - 5/1/2011 The Pennsylvania State University
Ghaznavi Mahnaz Task Force Member 8/14/2010 - 5/1/2011 Loyola Marymount University
Kay David Task Force Member 8/14/2010 - 5/1/2011 Little Airplane Productions
De Sutter Solveig Staff Liaison 8/14/2010 - 5/1/2011 Society of American Archivists
Tibbo Helen Ex Officio 8/14/2010 - 5/1/2011 University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Appendix B:
Simple Table of Structured Digital Archives Specialist Curriculum
Students working to earn a Digital Archives Specialist certificate can take the courses of the curriculum
in any order, though it will be best for most to start with the Foundational courses. While no specific
courses are required, the number of courses required in each tier will ensure that any DAS Certificate
holder achieve a broad range of experience in digital archives. Students are also required to pass the
course exams and a comprehensive exam once they have taken the number of required courses and
exams. More knowledgeable students can elect to test out of Foundational courses. Note that those
courses marked as “Proposed” are not described in the detail the other courses are in Appendix E.
1. Foundational Courses
a. Basic Electronic Records
b. Basics of Managing Electronic Records: Getting You Started (Webinar)
c. Thinking Digital (Webinar)
d. Standards for Digital Archives (Webinar) (New)
e. Beginner‟s Guide to Metadata (Webinar)
f. Appraisal of Electronic Records (New)
g. Digital Curation: Creating an Environment for Success (New)
2. Tactical and Strategic Courses
a. Electronic Records and Archives: The Next Step (Webinar)
b. Accessioning and Ingest (New)
c. Description of Electronic Records (New)
d. Digital Repositories (Combine with Building Digital Collections)
e. Preserving Digital Archives: Concepts and Competencies (New)
f. Legal Issues in Digital Archives (New)
g. Developing Specifications and RFPs for Recordkeeping Systems (New)
h. Digital Archives and Libraries (Revised name)
i. Providing Access to Digital Archives (New)
j. Inreach and Outreach for Digital Archives (New)